What's Expected
by Clogallie
Summary: Kairi falls for her best friend Sora. It seems like a cliché waiting to happen, but viewed through Naminé's eyes, something's amiss. AU, three-shot.
1. Part One

**What's Expected**

* * *

 _Part ONE_

Kairi's a walking cliché.

Ask anyone from our high school, and they'll agree. She grew up as 'one of the boys,' played every sport she could, and never backed down from a dare. She thought being called 'girly' was the greatest insult anyone could give her (which, ironically, was how our friendship started). Her best friend was none other than her neighbor Sora, who was - you guessed it - a boy.

Then in middle school, she suddenly had a problem with being 'one of the guys.' And so she had the classic tomboy-to-girly-girl makeover, courtesy of _moi,_ Naminé _,_ her new best friend (#sorrynotsorry Sora). I taught her about skin care products, gave her a basic sense of fashion, and introduced her to the magic known as makeup. And don't look at me like that, like I'm some sort of anti-feminist with a secret agenda to disempower all women into becoming trophy wives. Kairi asked; I delivered. I never told her how to act (though I did suggest burping and farting in public was somewhat of a social taboo). Whatever advice I gave, she chose to take to heart. So don't point fingers at me - point'em at her.

And look at her now in high school, post braces and lanky limbs. We're not as close as before due to diverging interests, but I still see her around often. She struts through the halls of Destiny High like she owns the place (I guess in some ways she does). She can apply mascara in the five minutes between class with a compact mirror. Our grade's resident fashionistas are always begging for her to model for them. And most notably, a guy confesses to her like every other week. She has all the boys eating out of her hand, even some of the boys who used to see her as one of them.

Some of those boys, not all of them.

Like I said, Kairi's a walking cliché. Because after her entire makeover, she chooses to do the one thing every female teenage protagonist does:

She falls for her best friend.

And this time, I'm not talking about me.

I'm talking about Sora, one of the few boys who's seen her go from t-shirts to short skirts without even batting a lash.

* * *

Kairi comes running towards me, catching her breath after soccer or track or some sort of athletic practice - I can never keep up during the spring. "What's up?" I ask curiously. She's invading my personal space in the journalism-designated computer lab on the fourth floor. She's only ever come here to find me twice: once when I had a box of donuts, another when she found out her boyfriend cheated on her.

So what I mean is: it's serious business when she runs up 3 flights of stairs just to find me.

I'm a little confused and frazzled because I don't like people seeing my unfinished drafts, so I pull up my email on a window and try to redirect her attention to the other side of the room. I stand up and walk towards the door, pretending to grab something from my backpack but then realize there's nothing to grab. So I just haul my entire bag towards an empty desk we can sit at. She collapses into the wooden chair opposite of me.

"Is everything okay?" I ask worriedly.

She draws a deep breath to calm herself down. "Naminé. You have got to help me."

"Mhmm?" Despite the growing distance between us, I'm still Kairi's designated Fairy Godmother. Ever since my role in securing her makeover success in middle school, she's come to me with all sorts of problems expecting me to have a solution at hand every time. You can tell that's pretty stressful for me and not a realistic expectation for her to have. Though I generally try my best, and Kairi usually at least appreciates my effort if I so happen to fail.

"Okay, so this time...I swear, I'm not in trouble," she hurriedly says when she catches onto my genuinely concerned expression. Don't ask about the time I had to bribe our principal with a signed copy of my mom's newest book to get her out of trouble. "I just - today, during cheer practice, I had an epiphany. You know, those lightbulb-goes-off-on-top-of-your-head moments."

Yes, Kairi, I know what an epiphany is. I decide to not voice that comment and instead say, "And what was it?" I hope it's not obvious that I'm getting a little impatient.

"I - I kept staring at the soccer team practice. And you know, I guess it's normal cause they're some pretty hot guys, and social dynamics decree that I date one of them, and I guess I want to be popular and fit in - " Yeah, you'll notice she does that sometimes: spout something pretty shallow and follow with some pretty meaningful insight. " - but this is different," she concludes. "This is...this feels real."

"You have real feelings about something?" Active listening skills, kids: summarize and repeat what the speaker just said so he/she knows (or thinks) you're listening.

"Yeah, I - I mean, it's not just another guy. Cause this time...this time, it means something."

"All your relationships should mean something," I begin.

"I didn't mean everything in my past doesn't matter. Just...this time, my feelings are stronger."

Okay, I could roll with that. "So who is it?" I ask.

Kairi generally has no problem with the speak-your-mind-and-you'll-be-heard thing, but this boy's got her stuttering and spluttering and spitting out each syllable one by one.

"It - it's - um - it's - So - it's Sora."

I blink. "Sora?"

"Yup."

"As in...brown hair, blue eyes, your neighbor Sora?"

"Mhmm. That's him. Are there any other Soras in our school?"

"I guess not," I concede. "I'm just...making sure. Wow," I mumble, "Sora. Should've seen that one coming. Though you dated Riku - albeit very briefly - so I thought you had the childhood friend cliché covered..."

"Huh?"

"Or maybe he fit the older brother figure cliché better? He was older than us - just by a year though..."

"...you've lost me, Naminé."

"Oh!" I exclaim, turning my attention back towards Kairi. "Sorry, babbling writer alert. Anyways...Sora, right? So you need help seducing him?"

The word 'seduce' makes Kairi turn four interesting shades of red, cause deep down, I know she's the same clueless Kairi I taught flirting techniques in middle school. "N - no!" she splutters. "I just...need guidance on how to proceed." She looks at me expectantly. Pressure, anyone?

Even though I'm usually a pro at walking and breathing clichés like Kairi, I'm admittedly a little skeptical about my knowledge this time round. "Kairi...I don't know if I can help you," I begin, hoping to let her down easy.

"WHAT?!" Of course, this is Kairi we're talking about, and she's prone to extreme reactions. "Why not?" she says. "You always help me!"

 _Exactly_! I want to point out but that's not the point I want to make. "Sora's always been the one guy we haven't been able to figure out. Remember summer before high school?"

Kairi giggles and I chuckle as we recall fond memories. We'd spent the entire summer trying to figure out Sora's ideal type. Outright asking only embarrassed the guy, so we snooped around, investigating the women in his life, interviewing family members, and - uh, poking around his bedroom (totally legit - we told him we'd be in his room). And our conclusion after two months had been inconclusive. We had no hints as to his preference in girls. Even his mother had little to offer.

" _Sora's ideal type, you say?" she asks with a sly grin. His mother's always been the nosy type - with good intentions, of course. "Why do you ask? Is one of you interested in my son?"_

 _I roll my eyes and Kairi throws her head back laughing. "Oh no, we're just curious!" Kairi says. "It's cause he's never even been on a date with a girl so we have no idea what's his type."_

" _Hmm. I'll be honest, I don't know my son_ that _well, but I do know that he can never turn down accompanying me to the soup kitchen every month, citing my pithy wit as a source of excellent company."_

" _...what?"_

Mind you, Kairi and I weren't even high schoolers, so we barely even understood the vocabulary Sora's mom had used, much less what she meant.

 _She giggles, a high-pitched feminine laugh that I know Kairi is jealous of. "It's a mystery, I suppose! That'll add to his charm!"_

Sora's mom is a bit eccentric, I'll say.

The rest of our conversation with the older woman had derailed to speculating who out of the three of us (Kairi, Sora, and I) would get married first. I'm still bent on collecting $50 from everyone who thought it'd be me - cause I'm pretty sure Sora's secretly a hopeless romantic at heart and gonna marry his high school or college sweetheart.

Like they say, life is a competition. Might as well cash in on it while you can.

Anyways, back to the original topic regarding my reluctance to help Kairi. "I do want to help, Kairi, but I don't think I have anything practical to offer in this case. We can't figure Sora out, so how exactly am I supposed to help you?"

Kairi frowns, and I think she's got it for once, but she quickly comes up with a retort. "Then we just need to figure him out!"

I blink. "How though? We tried for 2 months and that was a bust."

"C'mon, Naminé, we were 14. We're almost legal now, and Sora's got loads more experience in the girl's department. Plus we've narrowed down the inquiry to: is Sora interested in me? I think we can write up a decent report."

Kairi's words jog a memory. "Wait a second, I remember coming across something the other day..." I quickly click on my bookmarks, scrolling through a bunch of sites with citation guidelines and a bunch of thoughtful articles I found online. I finally stop at one _Destiny's Embrace_ quiz: "Is Your Guy Friend Interested in You?"

"Oh my god, that's perfect!" Kairi exclaims. "And...you have some strange bookmarks. What's this…'How to Get Away With Farting in - '"

"Research!" I chirp, quickly closing all my other windows except the relevant one. It's a short quiz with a few options in response to 5 questions. I hit print and wait for the paper copy to come out.

"So we just need to figure out the answers to these questions?" Kairi asks. She lives by _Destiny's Embrace_ , so of course she'd put her relationship in its hands.

I nod. "We'll need to gather some intel for some of these." We smirk at each other. "Just like that summer."

"I'll be keeping up with appearances so as to maintain that variable of the equation," Kairi says as she stands up. "Make us proud, soldier."

"Yessir."

We look at each other and can't hold back our laughter. It's been such a long time since we've just had this much fun together. Kairi's always swamped with her multiple sports commitments and I'd decided to take on a full-AP course load junior year. Now done with college apps and looking down the last half of senior year, I'm more concerned about how high school's gonna be over soon. And I'm starting to get senioritis pretty bad, too.

Our full-blown laughter probably isn't the best of ideas, because the janitor appears and asks why we're still here. Kairi gives me a look and I shrug - I'd maybe forgotten to mention that technically, this room's supposed to be locked. I just have my last class here everyday so I promise I'll lock up "in 5 minutes, you can go first, Mrs. Miller."

"What are you two doing here? Open lab hours are over," the janitor declares.

I look sheepishly towards Kairi, who can usually charm her way out of any situation. But her face is still red from laughing, and she can't stop the occasional giggle escaping her lips, so we're just two giggly idiots trying to grab our stuff and skedaddle before the janitor has more to say.

"Wait a second," he speaks just as we're leaving, "did you use the printer? You need permission to print after school hours. What're your names? I should tell your student affairs director - hey, wait, stop!"

* * *

 _Question 1. Who initiates hangouts?_  
 _a. you_  
 _b. him_  
 _c. it's about equal_

"So it's generally you asking to grab food or watch a movie, huh," I comment as I scroll through Kairi's texts. She says she's got no secrets and gives me full access to anything on her precious mobile device. She's got a few funny selfies that I send to myself for posterity. And yearbook.

"Yeah. Is that bad? Should I play hard-to-get? But you know I hate playing games," Kairi says while she's owning the tetris app on my phone. She'd better not beat my high score.

"Honesty's good," I say, "but it sorta says something about any relationship when only one party's reaching out. When's the last time he suggested hanging out?"

"Um," she thinks while chomping on the school fries - has she not seen the fryer they use? "I think last month? We went laser tagging."

"Just you two?"

"No, with some other people from elementary school. Tidus, Wakka, Selphie...just them."

"It doesn't really count if it's a group outing," I point out. Kairi goes quiet, and all I hear are the sounds my tetris app makes when you clear a row. I make a mental note to tone down the cynicism a little, cause even perpetually peppy Kairi can lose confidence. "But it definitely counts as something," I say. "Lemme talk to him and see what I can find out. He might just be...shy or something." Pft, both of us know I'm just BS-ing now. Sora, shy? He's the poster child of friendliness.

"Alright," she says without even looking up from my phone. "He usually sits with his soccer teammates during lunch now cause the season's about to begin."

"I know. But will it be weird if I crash?" I wonder.

"Nah, they're super chill. I sit with them sometimes," she says. "YES!" she suddenly exclaims, jumping to her feet while her eyes remain trained on my phone screen. "Almost thought I was gonna die! Thank god for that 4-block long piece."

You'd never think this is a girl agonizing over the possibility that her feelings for her best friend are unrequited.

"Okay, I'll be back in 10 minutes," I say. "If not, call me to create an opportunity for me to leave."

"Can you just keep my phone and I'll keep playing this game on yours? I think I'm on a roll..."

"Okay, okay." I decide to indulge in Kairi's whims because...she's Kairi. Everyone just sorta goes along with what she wants.

I head towards the table near the entrance of the cafeteria where I know Sora and the soccer team sits. It's kinda hard to miss a bunch of rowdy boys the moment you enter the place. Sora's not hard to spot either, with his loud voice, dramatic hand gestures, and penchant for a bright red color. I tap his shoulder as one of his teammates is telling a story. He whirls around with a big smile.

"Naminé!" he chirps, engulfing me in a hug. Did I mention he's a very touchy-feely person? Well, now you know. I wrap my arms around his body and give him a quick squeeze before hurriedly retreating out of his embrace. He smells like sweat and grass.

"What's up, Sora?" I ask casually. Though we don't talk often, I've known him for as long as I've known Kairi so we're friends. We might not be close but we're pretty comfortable with each other. I saw him through his 2 years of braces (poor kid - paid off though, he's now got shiny pearly whites like no other), he's seen me through my parents' divorce. We text and Snapchat and comment on each other's Facebook posts.

"Not much," he says, scooting over to make room for me on the edge of the bench. Half my butt's dangling in air, but I don't let Sora know. Some of the guys at the table greet me, but I don't really know more than half the team. "Our first game's coming up next week so we're getting pumped for that," Sora says.

"GO DESTINY HIGH!" one of the guys I don't recognize hollers. Startled, I lean backwards a little. His outcry gets a few students at nearby tables to cheer.

"Are you gonna be there?" the blond I recognize as Tidus asks.

"You should totally come!" Sora exclaims. "Kairi's gonna be there too!"

He brings her up with his friends? One point for Kairi.

I smile. "I'll try."

The other boys derail into their own conversation, but Sora gives me his undivided attention. "What're you doing here? We're not exactly lunch buddies, if you know what I mean," he says with an earnest grin. "And I don't see your mom's PB&Js anywhere."

I laugh. "You still remember those?" That was back in middle school, when Sora was addicted to peanut butter. He still is, for that matter.

"Of course! Your mom's PB&Js were killer!" he exclaims.

"I'm pretty sure you traded with me just to get rid of your mom's killer tofurky sandwiches. Literally killer."

Sora laughs, and it's infectious so I laugh along. "You can't blame me. I still can't believe you're a vegetarian," he says.

"Tired of my meatless Snaps?"

"I can't believe _you're_ not tired of them."

"You just can't believe a lot of things, can you?"

Sora shrugs. "So I'm a skeptic. Sue me."

"Can't. I'd be a hypocrite."

Sora snorts. "So what are you doing here?"

I'm a little surprised by his persistence. "Well, I can sense I'm unwanted."

"You know I didn't mean it like that, Nam," Sora almost laments. "If you wanted to hang out, you should've said so."

I see a way to roll with this. "Fine, you caught me. I don't think we've hung out in awhile and I just wanted to come say hi and spend some quality time. You're so busy now, Sora."

"I'm sorry," he apologizes immediately. He's always been so easy to guilt-trip. "It's soccer season. It takes up a lot of time."

"Even Kairi says she has to forcibly drag you to hang out sometimes." I casually drop Kairi's name, observing his response.

He's silent for a moment, and his face is passive. It bothers me that I can't get a read of him. "Yeah, I guess I haven't been being a good friend," he finally says. "We should all hang out. Like this weekend or next Friday."

No, I want him to just hang out with Kairi! "Well, actually, I don't have time this weekend but you could spend some time with Kairi." Am I being too direct?

Sora looks like he's got an immediate response but holds his tongue. I'm surprised at his self-restraint; like Kairi, he's got the mind-to-mouth no-filter way of speaking. "Maybe..." he trails off. And I figure I can't push it further without being too obvious so I let it go.

On cue, my (or rather, Kairi's) phone rings and I pick up. "10 minutes," Kairi says on the other end.

"Oh, I see," I say aloud. "Thanks for telling me. I'll be right there." Swiftly, I hang up and slip my phone back in my pocket.

"Who was that?" Tidus asks, and somehow I'm the center of attention.

"Oh, it was my classmate in world history. The teacher passed on my graded paper to her and I wanna check out my grade." Smooth as a fish. I notice Sora cocks a brow at me, but I smile sweetly and he doesn't question me. I jump to my feet. "Well, it was nice chatting with you all. Good luck at your game!"

"You're not gonna come?" a wayward voice asks.

I smile. "I think I will, since Kairi's going. But I'll wish you good luck now."

"Yeah!" Tidus cheers. I spy Sora grinning. These boys are so easy to please.

"Bye-bye!" I exclaim, walking back towards where Kairi's sitting. She's set my phone aside and extends a hand expectantly when I approach. I return her phone and reach for my own.

"So?" she asks. "Did you find out anything?"

"He said he's busy with soccer season. Maybe that's why he hasn't been hanging out with you?" I report. "I suggested spending time with you this weekend to make up for it, but I don't know if it got through that thick skull of his."

Kairi snorts, looking up at me. "He's always been so dense."

"I know, right?" I instinctively check my phone for a time but pause when the screen doesn't light up. No way -

"My phone actually ran out of battery!" I exclaim accusingly. "How long did you play that tetris game for?"

"Till you got back. B-T-W, I screwed up the naming on the high score board so AKIRI at first place is me."

Seriously, does she need to beat me in everything, _including_ tetris on my own phone?

* * *

 _Question 2. What does he call you?_  
 _a. bro, bud, or some variant thereof_  
 _b. a nickname or pet name only he uses_  
 _c. your name_

"Let's not go by text this time," I say as Kairi and I reconvene one week later at a café after school. She has a track meet tomorrow so she got out of practice early. I had a lot of tests last week so we couldn't meet up till now.

"Okay, but I don't have any records of our calls." She takes a sip of her iced mocha.

"Don't you know off the top of your head?" I ask.

"I mean, he calls me Kai. Does that count as b.?"

"Everyone calls you Kai," I point out before recalling my determination to not always quash Kairi's hopes. "Um, is there something only he calls you?"

"I don't...well, ha, he called me 'Squirrel' once. Kinda as a joke about how I'm a flyer and I look like a flying squirrel when I'm in air."

I snort cause it's such a Sora nickname. "Let's see if he'll call you it again," I suggest. I point at her phone and she unlocks it easily - no password. "Call him."

"What?"

"Just call him and make small talk. We'll see if 'Squirrel' pops up."

"Okay..." Kairi's starting to sound skeptical, so I make a mental note to sound more like I know what I'm doing. I don't fail to notice he's speed-dial number 4 on her phone, right after what I'm presuming are home and dad, or some variation thereof. Kairi puts him on speaker and sets her phone on the middle of the table.

He picks up after three beeps. "Hey Kai. What's up?"

Kairi gives me a look. Okay, he calls you 'Kai,' duly noted. "Nothing much," she says. "You?"

"We just got out of soccer practice early, cause a lot of us have an exam to study for tomorrow. You took Mr. Harrison's class, right?"

"Oh, god, you're taking AP bio? Good luck," Kairi groans. "I liked the plants section though."

"I liked learning about the human body. Seemed most relevant."

"Mhmm." Kairi looks around, as if seeking inspiration for something to talk about. She gives me a look and I think about it quickly.

"Ask him," I mouth, "about soccer."

"How's soccer going?" she asks.

"Pretty good! We won our game last week - thanks for coming to cheer, by the way."

"Of course. That's what we do," Kairi says with a grin. "Remember how Naminé would sometimes be completely unplugged some days in a row to work on her writing? I locked myself in the entire weekend and came up with a new routine."

Sora chuckles. "Speaking of Naminé, did she come to the game? I wanted to say hi to her. Her friend Hayner kept asking for her too."

Kairi gives me a look and I shrug. "Oh, uh...I don't know?" Kairi says. It's so obvious that she's lying, or concealing the truth, that I wonder why we even bother.

"Hmm," Sora grunts. "I mean, I talked to her last week and one of the guys invited her to come. Does she not like watching soccer or something?" He sighs, and an anxious Sora worries me more than anything.

Kairi shoots me another boggle-eyed look, and I don't have a response either. What on earth is this boy thinking about in his spare time? I clear my throat and gesture at Kairi that I'll answer.

"Hey Kairi," I say casually, winking at her. "Who're you talking to?"

"Am I on speaker?" Sora asks.

"Oh. Is that...Sora?" I make a face pretending I'm thinking hard. Kairi almost bursts into laughter.

"Yeah! You guys hanging out now?"

"Yeah, we're at a café. I just went to the bathroom," I say smoothly. Watch the queen of deception work. "What're you guys talking about?"

"Why you were absent at the game. Sora thinks you don't like soccer," Kairi tosses in.

I giggle. "What in the world are you talking about, Sora? I just got busy. I didn't realize you were sensitive about things like that."

"Maybe you just don't know me well enough," he returns easily. "Anyways, Kai, I gotta study for the test. Did you need anything?"

"Oh, no!" she exclaims. What about the nickname though? I convey that question in a stern look. "Just, um, good luck tomorrow!"

"Yeah, thanks. Bye! Nice chatting with you Naminé." He then abruptly hangs up. We both sigh.

"So he didn't call me that again. I was trying to work in the new part of our routine where we had three flyers and try to get him to call me 'Squirrel' - "

"It didn't come up; that doesn't mean he doesn't use it," I point out. "You said he has before, so that counts."

"To be honest, he's called me 'buddy' sometimes before. And he also uses my name. So it's really all of the above," she ponders, staring at the printout.

Of course, Kairi's so special that she has to cross all categories.

"Let's just skip this one. It's pretty superficial anyways," I decide. "By the way, in my opinion, your face looks like a pufferfish when you're in the air."

" _…it does not!_ "

* * *

 _Question 3. Does he talk about other girls with you?_  
 _a. yes_  
 _b. no_

Kairi and I don't have time till almost a month later to meet up again. During that time, some college responses come out, so students are either ecstatic about getting in somewhere or miserable about rejections. I, unfortunately, belong in the latter category. My dream school, Hollow Bastion University, turned me down so I'm currently considering the prospects of community college.

"You look like you sat through 5 hours of detention." I hear Sora's perky voice before he takes a seat next to me on the floor. We're by the lockers, a popular hangout spot in our high school cause it's a central hubbub for foot traffic. "What're you doing right now?"

I sigh and put my head in my hands. "I'm not going to college, Sora."

"Whoa, what?" he exclaims. "Didn't you always want to go to HBU? You applied, right, Nam?"

Him mentioning it just makes me feel worse. "Ugh, Sora, I got rejected."

"Oh." That quiets him down. "Well, you applied to target and safety schools, right? It's not the end of the world."

"Feels like it." I can't even bother to hold a conversation with him at this moment.

And Kairi picks the perfect time to make an entrance.

"Hey Sora, hey Naminé," Kairi greets, sitting down next to Sora. "Uh, you guys alright?"

I'm staring at the darkness that is my hands now, so I only hear some shuffling on my side as Sora and Kairi interact. I can only imagine Sora's mouthing the situation to Kairi and they're egging each other to say something comforting. I realize I'm being a little melodramatic so I raise my head and turn towards them. They hastily put their hands in their laps and look at me innocently.

Cute.

"I'll get over it. Just the sting of rejection."

"You don't wanna go to HBU anyways," Kairi says. "It's such a party school and they're in the middle of nowhere."

"I know." I appreciate her smash-talk. I draw a breath and sigh. I'm done talking about myself. Let's move on to something a little more cheery. "What about you guys? Any prospective offers?"

"Well, I got in RGA," Kairi mentions nonchalantly.

I widen my eyes. Freaking RGA? They're just a few ranks below HBU! Suddenly, all the inner peace I'd attained dissipates, just like that. It's funny, cause I was the one who wanted to talk about something more cheery. And Kairi's acceptance surely is a celebratory cause. But I just feel so insecure comparing my rejection to Kairi's guaranteed future in a prestigious university that I don't have it in me to even congratulate her. Instead, while Sora pats her back and Kairi modestly brushes it off, I sulk in place and glare at her. I consider my not mentioning anything spiteful as an accomplishment already.

Of course Kairi gets everything.

"I, uh, didn't get in Twilight Tech," Sora then admits. I'm a little ashamed that I perk up when I hear Sora got rejected too. I'm such a bad person.

I'm alerted of a text on my phone and wonder why Kairi's texting me. I check discretely and I see _Question 3_. I sigh. Do we have to do this now while I'm still bitter about my rejection? But Kairi ploughs on, and since it's Kairi, we follow along.

"So, let's talk about something a little more cheerful," she says. "Prom plans, anyone? Sora, who're you going with?" Over Sora's shoulder, Kairi shoots me a stern look, trying to get me to say something. And I just oblige because I don't wanna contradict her now.

"Yeah, Sora, all the good girls get snatched up real early. You should ask someone soon."

Sora chuckles nervously. "I - uh, don't really know yet."

"What about Rikku?" Kairi tosses the name in 'nonchalantly' (or so she thinks - but I notice her nose twitch and her eyes narrow a little).

"Rikku?" Sora whirls around to face Kairi and grins. "Heh, yeah, maybe. She's worse than Selphie with the touching. Always trying to put a hand on my shoulder or pat my back during chem lab."

Kairi snorts. "Such a player, Sora."

"Don't hate the player; hate the game."

Kairi shoots me another look, and I wonder if she misses my exasperated roll of eyes. "Sounds like you're set," I voice.

Sora turns back around and blinks. "Oh - uh, nah, I still don't know."

"Well, I'm single and ready to mingle! Though it's early on so I'm still holding out on someone." Kairi's laying it a little thick. Maybe cause high school's rapidly drawing to a close and she's feeling the pressure.

"Who is it?" Sora asks.

Kairi grins. "It's a secret~!" she sings, and Sora decides to let it go. "Anyways, Naminé?"

I blink. Why is she turning the tables on me? Sora's the target in question. In face of her effervescence, I'm just trying to not sound depressed.

"You don't have to tell us," Sora quickly says. "We respect your privacy."

"No we don't," Kairi declares and looks at me intently. "Spill! We all have."

Kairi really doesn't know any boundaries. Again, I decide to go with the flow. I don't really care at this point. "There's nothing to spill. No one's asked me. I might just go solo."

"No, you should go with someone! C'mon, who would you go with if you had to ask someone?"

"Again, privacy," Sora interrupts hastily. "You're making her uncomfortable," he accuses Kairi.

"I'm just curious!" Kairi exclaims.

"I wouldn't ask cause I don't wanna get rejected." _Again_ , I almost want to add, but that's probably too obvious of a reference to my recent college rejection. I'll admit I'm letting it get to me way too much.

Kairi doesn't think much about my somber tone though. "Who'd you go with last year? Roxas, right? Why don't you just go with him?"

Thinking about prom last year makes me smile involuntarily. It's a nice memory to hold on to. "Yeah...Roxas. It was fun, but I don't wanna go with him just cause I went with him last year."

"You shouldn't just push Roxas onto her," Sora points out. "He's kind of a player anyways."

"What, Roxas?" Kairi exclaims. "I thought he's the one true love type of guy?"

"He's always hanging out with that sophomore with dark hair - forgot her name - and I see him with Olette a lot too. I wouldn't trust him."

"Just cause he has female friends doesn't make him a player." Kairi pauses and grins. "Aw, Sora, are you jealous that he's more popular with the ladies than you are?"

"What?" Sora exclaims. "I have female friends too! Why would I be jealous?"

"Exactly," Kairi says. "You have me, and Naminé, and even Selphie. Don't worry, we got your male ego's back."

"I knew I could count on you."

"We're also here to make sure your ego doesn't over-inflate," Kairi finishes with a grin.

After awhile, Tidus comes over and hauls Sora away. Kairi and I sit together in silence, and I wonder what we have to talk about now. I'm ready to go home.

"He did talk about Rikku with me," Kairi begins slowly. "That's not a good sign, is it?"

Oh, right, we're still on the quiz thing. It's getting a little annoying, spending all my time with Kairi over a boy and a silly quiz for teenagers. I guess I'm just bitter cause looking at Kairi and I, the contrast is so distinct. She has the time to worry about stuff like crushes and prom dates with her secured acceptance to RGA. Me? I'm still freaking out about my future cause I have no idea where I'm gonna end up (unemployed at this rate, that's for sure). And in every memory I have of Kairi, it's always been of her getting what she wants: the grades, the guys, whatever. It's hard not to complain about how unfair the universe is. Like if it's trying to tell me that Kairi's awesome, then okay, I get it, I don't need more convincing.

Kairi sighs. "Was I too obvious just now?"

She keeps talking even though I don't have a response. Does she even notice that I'm keeping silent on the matter or is she way too self-absorbed to even notice?

"What do you think, Naminé?"

My goodness. "I don't think it matters," I point out flatly. "This whole entire - this quiz thing, I don't even know why I brought it up. It's stupid. We all know you're gonna get Sora in the end - all the stories have it written out for you: the girl gets with her guy best friend. I just wonder why you didn't ask him to prom just now." I snort, a bitter sound escaping my lips. "This entire thing is just a waste of my time. I don't think it's necessary to bother with it anymore."

Somehow, I manage to bite my tongue and stop the deluge of hurtful words. I can feel a familiar burning sensation in my eyes, which means I'm about to tear up any moment. And I _really_ cannot let Kairi see me crying now.

Soon enough, the guilt and sense of dread catches up to me. "I'm sorry," I rush out in one breath. "I'm just - stressed, and, and I - I gotta go, Kairi." I don't, but my mind's doing the fight-or-flight thing and my number one priority is getting out of here. "I'll...see you, I guess."

Kairi is speechless. Maybe she's shocked. Maybe her silence belies a fiery rant she's about to give. Maybe it was too late for my apology and niceties. She looks at me like she doesn't recognize me anymore.

Maybe she doesn't.

Maybe she never has.

* * *

 **A/N: This is my first attempt at a two-shot! Or at least that's the plan. I don't have much experience with shorter stories, so hopefully you liked this! I certainly enjoyed writing Naminé's character - she isn't quiet and socially awkward like I and people generally portray her; instead, she's sorta secretly judgey and thinks she's all that but still loves and feels deeply. Does that make sense? I just thought that in the games, she's got a pretty amazing power but is oppressed by the Organization. If she were to grow up in a healthy environment, maybe she'd be a little more proud of herself. I don't know - if you think I'm just BS-ing (I kinda am), let me know what you didn't like about her, or the story.**

 **Anyways, I'm still crafting the ending, so stay tuned for part two!**


	2. Part Two

_Part TWO_

 _Question 4. Has he tried to set you up with other guys?_  
 _a. yes_  
 _b. no_

Maybe you expect a big confrontation. Seems plausible, given how straightforward Kairi is. But when it comes to relationships, like her budding one with Sora, Kairi is unexpectedly cautious and subtle. So no confrontation.

Maybe you expect a tearful apology fest where we say our sorries and pour out our deepest darkest secrets to each other. Like how my parents' divorce led to my low self-esteem, or Kairi's quest for true love left her quite wary and jaded of other people's intentions. Those points are all true, but you probably didn't think we found out all that about each other at a late-night sleepover in middle school. And we're big girls - we don't cry anymore. So no tears.

You probably don't expect everything to be over in less than a week. For everything to be over with a simple text.

From: Naminé  
To: Kairi  
Sorry. I was having a bad day

From: Naminé  
To: Kairi  
I mean I'm not trying to make up an excuse. I'm sorry.

From: Kairi  
To: Naminé  
It's k. I get it :)

Yup. Anticlimactic, you might complain, but that's how real life works. My friendship with Kairi has endured 7 years of high school, teenage drama, and puberty. Now, any disturbance is just a minor ripple in the grand lake of things.

Cause we tight like dat.

From: Naminé  
To: Kairi  
Really?

From: Kairi  
To: Naminé  
Nbd. Btw, I went ahead w/ the quiz. :o

From: Naminé  
To: Kairi  
Oh! Question 4?

From: Kairi  
To: Naminé  
Or actually I just came across the answer :/

From: Naminé  
To: Kairi  
Okay what is it?

From: Kairi  
To: Naminé  
IT'S A. SORA SUGGESTED I GO TO PROM W/ TIDUS :(

From: Kairi  
To: Naminé  
DOESN'T HE KNOW TIDUS IS LIKE A BROTHER TO ME?

From: Kairi  
To: Naminé  
AND TIDUS WANTS TO ASK YUNA. THAT DUMMY! XO

Kairi rebounds from things pretty quickly. Optimism really isn't an easy trait to stay true to. When bad things happen, it's so much easier to dwell in the negatives. Like me.

It's hard being a cynic, trust me. Always try to think positive, kids.

On another note, the mission is now back on. So I try my best to make up for my relational faux pas and be Kairi's one true supporter.

From: Naminé  
To: Kairi  
Okay, but...maybe Tidus asked him to ask, or something

From: Naminé  
To: Kairi  
If it's just a one-time thing, it might not mean anything

From: Kairi  
To: Naminé  
HMM MAKES SENSE ._.

From: Kairi  
To: Naminé  
Sry for all caps ^-^

...

From: Kairi  
To: Naminé  
ASLDKFJLDKJFLA;S

From: Kairi  
To: Naminé  
#SORRYNOTSORRY FOR THE CAPS

From: Naminé  
To: Kairi  
Jairo it's 3 I'm quaking up a 6.

From: Kairi  
To: Naminé  
SORA FOUND OUT TIDUS IS GOING W/ YUNA

From: Kairi  
To: Naminé  
SO HE SUGGESTED ROXAS THIS TIME :o

From: Kairi  
To: Naminé  
DIDN'T HE TELL YOU ROXAS IS A PLAYER?

From: Kairi  
To: Naminé  
WHY'S HE OFFERING ME UP? :(

From: Kairi  
To: Naminé  
WHAT IS THIS BOY'S PROBLEM? :( :(

From: Kairi  
To: Naminé  
IT'S NOT A ONE-TIME THING ANYMORE :'(

From: Kairi  
To: Naminé  
WHAT DO I DO?!

From: Kairi  
To: Naminé  
NAMINE?

From: Kairi  
To: Naminé  
WHAT DOES YOUR TEXT MEAN?

Kairi's early morning text disturbs my sleep, which I attribute to my loss of focus during my physics midterm. So in my book, we're even again.

Just like that, the cadence of our friendship is back to normal.

* * *

 _Question 5. Has he ever gotten handsy with you?_  
 _a. never_  
 _b. all the time_  
 _c. only when he's drunk_

Prom plans keep everyone busy, and time flies when you're busy. Kairi is probably still a bit wary of me and my outburst, so we don't interact much for the next few weeks beyond a greeting in the halls. We don't plan our next encounter, which happens to be in the living room of the football captain's house. And I'm a little worried when she sees me because we're probably both not completely sober.

"I didn't know you come to parties like this!" Kairi hollers above the noise. I smile sheepishly and before I can say anything, she drags me aside to the kitchen where it's considerably quieter.

"Wow! I'm parched. Lemme grab a drink." Before I can stop her, she downs an entire glass of fruit punch that I'm pretty sure is spiked. But according to my observations, she's a little tipsy anyways, and I'm not her keeper so I let her be. As long as she doesn't puke on me.

"So! Since you're here, why don't we get the answer to the last question on the quiz?" Kairi says.

"What?"

"We need to get Sora drunk!" Kairi concludes.

"Wait, what?" I'm worried now. Kairi's never been so aggressive with the plans. In fact, the entire time, it's mostly been me orchestrating the entire thing.

"C'mon, I've seen him tipsy before." Kairi shrugs. "Plus, no harm, no foul."

I quickly pull up the question on my phone. Question 5, the last one. "So are you saying he's never gotten handsy with you?" I ask.

"Kind of?" she says. "I mean sometimes when we're playing a sport, things get a little physical. But...does that count?"

"I don't see why not."

"I mean it's not 'all the time,' and it's definitely not 'never,' so it's either c. or n/a. We gotta test if c. works!"

"Okay..." I have a bad feeling about this, but I feel like I owe Kairi my full cooperation at this point.

We maneuver through the crowd, trying to locate Sora. When everyone's as loud as the music, it's harder to pinpoint where Sora is. I accidentally brush by Rikku, who drops her clutch as a result.

"I'm sorry," I mumble, bending down to pick it up. Rikku scowls, snatching her purse back. "Are you...okay?" I ask tentatively.

"Yeah," she says and then hiccups. Is she drunk? She isn't moving, as if she wants to say something, but she's not speaking. So I start talking.

"You, uh, congrats. I heard Sora promposed to you."

Rikku blinks awhile before a frown stretches across her face. "Yeah. Mhmm."

What did I ever do to her? Is she still mad about me messing up the physics experiment? That was weeks ago!

"Are you going by yourself?" Rikku asks.

"I - uh, my friend asked me. I don't think you know him."

Rikku narrows her eyes. "Try me."

Uh, okay, noted: alcohol makes Rikku strangely intense. "Do you know Pence?"

"Chubby guy on yearbook?"

"Yeah. He asked me last week."

"I see." Rikku composes herself and takes a step back. "Well, I'll see you."

Okay... "Bye, Rikku. Hope you have fun." I don't even wanna bother deciphering why she's acting like that - maybe she got rejected by her dream school like me? Maybe family troubles? Who knows what's going on in her life.

And frankly, I don't really care.

A hand latches onto my wrist and jerks, tugging me through the crowd towards the side. Thank god it's just Kairi.

"Where'd you go?" she hollers. "I turned around and you were gone!"

"Sorry, I was talking to Rikku." I wonder if Kairi's bitter over the fact that Sora's not going to prom with her. Maybe I shouldn't have brought up Rikku.

Kairi is visibly depressed for a moment before perking up again. "Let's go!" Her hold on my wrist is a little tight, but she can't hear my meek protests over the music and the adrenaline pumping through her blood.

We maneuver through the throng of people and finally get to the family room. With her hawk's eye, Kairi locates Sora watching some people play beer pong.

"HEY!" Kairi exclaims, jumping onto his back. I reach out worriedly, but Sora steadies himself with a firm grasp on the table's edge.

"Whoa, Kai," he says with a chuckle, turning around and setting her on the ground, "you surprised me." He notices me and smiles. "Hey there, Nam."

"Hi Sora."

"So, are you drunk now?" Kairi straight-up asks Sora. I take another look at her and realize she's a little more wobbly than before. Did she sneak in a few drinks while I was talking to Rikku? Sora chuckles, dragging her aside. The guys make him promise he'll be back for a round of beer pong, which he readily agrees to. I follow him to a cozy corner couch.

"How drunk is she?" Sora asks, pointing at Kairi.

I shrug. "I'm not sure. I met her about 5 minutes ago."

"You didn't come together?" he asks quizzically. I'm watching his every movement as he props her up on the couch and grabs her a pillow to hold. Kairi is half-asleep at this point. He seems a little handsy to me. After finishing, he lounges in his seat and looks at me expectantly.

I realize he asked me a question. "No. I was gonna come with Olette, but Hayner promposed so they're celebrating right now. I was all dressed up though, so I decided to come anyways. By the way, congrats on you and Rikku. "

"Huh?"

"You promposed to her, right?"

"Oh, yeah." Sora chuckles nervously. Aw, is he embarrassed?

"Your promposal was definitely the most epic one I've seen. But then again, Pence just sorta asked me in the computer lab so almost everything's more dramatic than that."

"You're going with Pence?" Sora asks.

"I'm still thinking about it," I admit. "We're just friends, and he suggested it cause Hayner and Olette were gonna go together and that's the other half of our friend group."

"That's a lame reason to go with someone. And that's a lame promposal too."

I chuckle. "You set the bar very high, Sora."

He laughs.

The more I look at him, the less drunk he seems. I mean, sure, his cheeks are a little red and he's a little twitchy, but he's pretty coherent, making jokes and not slurring his words or acting particularly out of character.

Kairi snores and we both turn towards her. I chuckle while Sora sighs. With her knocked out and Sora not as drunk as I thought, it'll be hard getting an answer to Question 5.

I look around the party, trying to decide what to do. Kairi's out, none of my friends came, and I don't know if there's anything for me to do here. I sneak a peek at Sora, and to my surprise, he's looking at me with a weird look on his face. I cock a brow at him, and it takes him a second to realize I'm looking at him looking at me. The corner of his mouth quirks up a little before his mouth stretches into a smile. Okay...

I rise to my feet and sway a little. Whoa, what's wrong with me? I swear I only had like one cup of beer... I guess I'm tired. "Well, I think I'm gonna head back home. I need to get up early tomorrow."

Sora jumps to his feet too. "Oh, for what?"

"I volunteer at the orphanage Saturday mornings. It's my Good Samaritan deed of the week. Anyways, I hope you have fun."

"I can walk you back," he volunteers.

"But didn't those guys just wanna play beer pong with you?" I gesture at the mass of people behind me.

Sora shrugs. "There will always be another beer pong game."

"You don't have to walk me back. It's sorta out of your way."

"No, we're in the same direction. And I should probably take Kairi back now - I don't know how she got here, but she's falling asleep. And she's a real deep sleeper."

Oh! I grin, pleased with the way things are turning out. "How're you gonna bring her back?"

Sora looks around and pauses. "Uh...you didn't happen to drive here, did you?"

"Nope. I walked."

"It's a little before my house from here, right? I'll walk you back and then drop Kairi off. It's not safe to be out at night at this hour, Naminé."

"This is a safe neighborhood."

"I don't want anything to be on my conscience," Sora says. He looks at Kairi and pauses. "Though I'm not sure how to get her back..."

"Why don't you give her a piggy back ride?" I hope he doesn't realize I'm teasing him pretty badly. My wide smile is more than indicative that I like how things are going. Let's see you _not_ get handsy with a girl on your back, Sora!

Sora blanches for a moment. "I - " But considering his options, that's really the only practical one he has. _Right?_ Right. "Okay," he finally says.

We take awhile to convince Kairi to latch onto Sora's back. Once she's steady, I let go of her and take a look at them together. They match so well! Sora seems a little reluctant to be here - it is a little weird, considering he's piggy-backing Kairi and going to prom with another girl - but they look good together.

"Let's go!" I'm a little happy with everything, so my voice perks up and I lead the way out of the messy house party. The crisp evening air sobers us up a little, and Kairi groans a little due to the cold.

"Hey, what're you doing?" Sora exclaims as I undo the jacket tied around his waist.

"You have a human blanket over you, so let's give this to those in need, hmm?" I secure the jacket's sleeves around Kairi's neck. She snuggles into the warmth a little.

"You're thoughtful," Sora mumbles.

"Thank you. I also like to think I'm funny and a beast at tennis."

Sora pauses and then chuckles. "Man. Oh, man, you're - pfft." He laughs, and I don't even bother asking him why he's laughing cause it's always been easy to make him laugh. I'm not even self-conscious around him anymore.

"Have you decided where you're going for college?" I ask.

"Oh. Uh, since Twilight Tech rejected me, I'm probably sticking with Destiny Islands schools. Most of the UDIs have gotten back to me, except UDI-Cove. That's where I wanna go."

"All the way on the opposite end of the island!" I exclaim.

"I know. I gotta get away from home somehow. What about you?"

"Believe it or not, I got in UDI-Seaside." I grin widely as Sora cheers for me. "I'm pretty sure I'm going there."

"We'd be less than half an hour away from each other if I get in Cove."

"Dear god, and I thought I could get away from you."

"What?" Sora exclaims. "I'm hurt!"

"Just kidding, Sora."

"What do you wanna do?" he asks. "Journalism?"

I sigh. "It's not that practical, is it? My mom doesn't say it, but she's strongly suggested I look into a preprofessional degree. God, she'd be ecstatic if I fulfilled her dream of becoming a nurse. But anyways, I was thinking maybe public policy? It's practical, right? And non-sciencey enough for me."

Sora chuckles. "I can't see you willingly huddled over a microscope studying biology."

"Right? I tried telling my mom that but she says I can do it, since I'm her daughter. Like how am I supposed to argue against that?"

Sora laughs and takes a moment to adjust Kairi's position on his back, cause she's slipping a little. Kairi mumbles something in her sleep and I chuckle, cause she kinda looks like a toddler at this moment.

"Is she heavy?" I ask.

"…is that a trick question?" Sora returns hesitantly.

I laugh. "I'm not asking about myself. I just wanted to know if you're doing alright."

"Of course!" he says. "Kairi's like…100 pounds, right? That's what she told me."

"Pfft." The laugh escapes my lips before I can stop it. My god, why can't I control myself anymore? Sora's obviously intrigued by my response. "Ah - no, I can't," I say, covering my mouth with my hand.

"What?" Sora exclaims. He rushes up in front of me with a silly grin on his face. I roll my eyes and sidestep him to keep walking. Despite having a teenage girl on his back, he quickly catches up. "C'mon, Nam, why'd you laugh?"

"I can't - okay, you don't really think Kairi's 100 pounds, do you?" Oh man, this is bad…but it's too good to not say something.

Sora's brows furrow. "That's what she said."

"Why do you think Kairi would tell you her actual weight? She's a girl."

Sora shrugs - or tries with the 100+lb weight on his back. "Why would she lie to me? I'm like her best friend."

"I was."

"I'm her best guy friend."

"So even you think so?" I ask.

Sora blinks. "What?"

"Sora, have you ever thought about dating Kairi?"

I'm one hundred percent sure I'm drunk now. Cause unless he's dumb as a rock, Sora's gotten the hint already.

"…me, and Kairi?"

"Yeah." It's Kairi - she'll forgive me. Eventually. After killing me and bringing me back to life. I know she loves me enough. Anyways, we're running out of time, given that he's going to prom with someone else. Maybe I can squeeze in a dance for her or something.

"Kairi and me?" he repeats.

"Yeah." I don't think it's a good sign that he's somewhat in shock by the idea.

I want to say something to help out Kairi's situation, but before I can think of what to say, Sora bursts out into loud laughter. His voice echoes in the quiet night, and it sends chills up my spine. I don't like this feeling I'm getting - besides the fact that the alcohol is making my stomach queasy…

"Me - and Kairi?" he repeats again between gasping laughter. "I - oh my god, Nam, that's what you've been thinking about?"

Now's my turn to shoot him a quizzical look. "What are _you_ talking about now? It's plausible." Sora keeps chuckling, so I feel the need to explain. "You guys have the whole guy-girl-childhood-best-friend thing going for you. It's, like, written in all the stories. Dave Matthews said it. 'A guy and a girl can be just friends, but at one point, they will fall for each other.'"

This is why I'd ultimately decided to help Kairi: I don't believe a guy and girl can be 'just friends.' Especially since we're teenagers, with pesky hormones and all. He's gotta have thought about it at least once.

And did I just quote someone while half-drunk? Wow, maybe I should consider majoring in history.

Sora laughs. "Do you wanna know what I think about that quote?" Sora says. I blink, intrigued where he's going with this. "Yeah, I also think when a guy and girl are friends, the guy'll think about her in a romantic context at least once. But he won't act on them if he prioritizes the platonic feelings more. Meaning he won't flirt with her or anything if his romantic feelings aren't strong enough."

I blink and - that makes sense. "So what you're saying is…you don't like Kairi?"

"I like Kairi platonically. It's hard not to like someone who's been with you for such a long time. But romantically? I'll admit, I thought about it last year, but I decided I don't like her like that enough. She's a good friend - a great friend. But I'm not interested in dating her."

"Not even try?" I exclaim.

"To me, it's not worth the risk of losing her."

"Not even sleep with?"

Sora makes a face. "Naminé, what - what are _you_ thinking about?"

I groan. My tipsiness is not helping in this situation.

"Are we there yet?" I completely change the subject.

"Almost. Probably five more minutes."

"Why's it so far?"

"It's a fixed distance, Nam." He pauses for a moment. "How much did you drink?"

I decide to ignore that question - it sounds a tad patronizing. "Why won't you even go to prom with her?" I ask.

"With Kairi?"

"Mhmm."

"Cause - look, I know how she feels about me. Kairi's not exactly discrete when it comes to her feelings. I didn't want to lead her on."

My eyes widen. "Oh, so I didn't spill the beans? Thank goodness. Kairi would've killed me."

Sora chuckles. "Nah, she wouldn't. She knows you mean well."

"Wait, so how'd you know?"

"She stopped talking about other guys in front of me. It's not exactly rocket science when it comes to Kairi. And like you said, I've known her since forever."

"Aren't boys supposed to be clueless about this stuff?"

"Hey, don't stereotype us. That's offensive!"

"That's true; I'm sorry," I say. At least my manners are intact. "Oh my god - if you knew, why'd Kairi and I have to do all this then?"

"Were you two trying to see if I liked Kairi?"

"Yeah! We even got this quiz from _Destiny's Embrace_ for whether your guy friend is interested in you!" Sora laughs aloud while I sigh exasperatedly. "This was all just a waste of time! You kept mentioning Kairi whenever we talked so I thought you were interested in her! Oh my god, now _I_ feel bad for leading her on! Sora, this is all your fault!"

"Whoa, whoa!" Sora exclaims. "My fault? You kept bringing Kairi up, so I just went along with is! I just wanted to talk to you!"

"Why would you want to talk to me? You're supposed to want to talk to Kairi!"

"I just said, I don't like Kairi."

"So what, you're saying you like - " I pause for a moment and rewind what I'd heard. Because I just heard what I just heard…right?

"You - you like _me_?"

All of a sudden, Sora can't meet my eyes. He smiles sheepishly. "I…I did just say that, right? Basically."

"Basically," I repeat.

Silence. Except for the crickets. Thank god for the crickets.

Okay, maybe they're just making it even more awkward.

I suddenly stop moving, and after awhile, I stop hearing Sora's footsteps too. He's probably a few steps behind me. I try to think of what to say but I'm really bad at thinking under pressure. I decide to take a page from Kairi and Sora's book: I whirl around and say what's on my mind.

"You - ah blahgerblah, blah, blah, said that you, erghhhhh…"

Okay…bad idea. How come 'speak my mind' for me comes out as gibberish? Is this what's on my mind?

Sora laughs at least. "You - is it that surprising?" he asks.

I shrug. "I - I was trying to get you and Kairi together."

"And I thought you just wanted to talk to me. Way to break a guy's heart, Nam."

"Stop it!" I exclaim. "I didn't do _anything_!"

"Okay, that hurts," Sora says. "Cause then you're saying I made up all the times you flirted back?"

"I - !"

Oh my…I can't go into this now. I've focused on helping Kairi so I've always compartmentalized pretty well. So - so what if I think Sora's cute? I'm pretty sure I've even said that before. It's totally an objective observation, right? Plus, it's normal to have these types of feelings for your friends - otherwise, you wouldn't be friends. We're hormonal teenagers. Chemical imbalances in my body dictate that I find his tall Roman nose and cheesy smile attractive. That doesn't mean anything though!

Gargh, emotions are so complicated.

"See, you're not denying it!" Sora points out. "You _were_ flirting with me, so you like me!"

Bold move, Sora. He smirks at me challengingly, as if daring me to prove him wrong.

And it's Sora, honest and grounded Sora who's probably never lied. So I've never lied in front of him - I've never had to. Compartmentalizing is one thing. Now, with him standing right in front of me, how can I _not_ think about this?

Great. Now we have two unspoken confessions. What're we supposed to do with _that_?

"A - anyways," I stammer in an attempt to change the subject, "aren't we both too late on this? I mean, for prom, you're going with Rikku and I'm going with Pence."

"You are?" He looks up at the last part. "I mean, you've decided?"

I groan. "No, I - that's not the point. You're going with Rikku."

"Actually, I'm not."

"What?" What? He just said he was - and Rikku did too!

"Yeah, I don't know where you heard that, but it's not true."

"I got that information from you!" I exclaim. "I just asked you earlier if you're going with her!"

"No, you congratulated me on a promposal. That doesn't mean we're going together."

I'm so confused. I shake my head a little and try to figure out the situation. "Wait, so…she said no?"

Sora grimaces. "Yeah."

…awkward. Why did no one tell me _that?_

"But why?" I exclaim. "You're…you! You said she was all over you in chemistry!"

"I think she wants to go with someone else. Ah well; I don't think I asked for the right reasons anyways. It probably all worked out for the best, cause now..." He looks towards me expectantly and I take a step back.

"Wait a sec," I hurriedly say, raising my hands to place a physical barrier between us. " _No_ , Sora."

"Why not?" he complains. "We both like each other, we're both single, so..." He shrugs, and I just want to reach over and grab his cheeks and - _oh my goodness, it's the alcohol and Sora's confession talking and_ \- OH MY, HE CONFESSED TO ME, DIDN'T HE? BASICALLY. HE CONFESSED. NOT TO KAIRI. TO ME. AND I CONFESSED TO HIM.

FRICKKKKK.

I take a wary step back. "Sora, no." It's like talking to a dog. Or maybe puppy suits him better, cause he's cute, you know - ARGH.

"You can't stop me, Naminé."

And…he's right. I can't. What right do I have to prohibit him from asking someone to prom? I gulp and stare at him intently. He opens his mouth to speak when...

Of course, protagonists know how and when to make an entrance.

"Mmm?" Kairi groans from Sora's back. God, I'd forgotten all about her! She basically heard our entire exchange! Thank goodness she was asleep… Sora fidgets a little and sets Kairi down on the ground. I approach the two of them. After making sure she's steady on her feet, Sora speaks. "You okay, Kairi?"

"It's cold," she whines, rubbing her arms. Sora unties the knot of his jacket's sleeves and helps her put it on. She sighs in the warmth but still shivers.

"We're on our way back home, okay, Kairi?" Sora mumbles with care. See, when he does stuff like this, I can see them together! And it doesn't even hurt - I'm happy for them! I _am_!

 _Does it really not hurt?_

Supporting herself with Sora's arm, Kairi stumbles along us as we reach my house. And on the silent walk over, I decide that I'm way too involved at this point to make a rational decision about Sora's confession. So the one solution I come up with is to stop thinking about it and distance myself from everything. Maybe then I can decide what exactly I'm supposed to do about all this.

We reach my house. I pause at the front steps, looking at the two of them. Kairi scowls at the cold while Sora tentatively smiles at my direction.

"Good night, Kairi. And good night, Sora," I say.

Kairi's focused on a point on the ground. Sora smiles.

"Hey," Sora calls out as I'm walking up the front porch stairs. I turn around and look at him. "Don't ignore me or push me away. Just...kinda think about it, okay? I'll see you at school."

And how does he know exactly what I'm going to do? Creepy.

I stare, locking the image of the two of them together in my mind, reminding myself why I set out on Kairi's crusade.

And before I can say anything to embarrass myself, I shut the door.

* * *

I don't talk to Sora for the next week.

Which isn't the same as ignore, just so you know.

I have a perfectly legitimate reason: I'm preoccupied with other important things. Like...like...Hayner and Olette. Someone's gotta celebrate with them! And be there for Olette every time Hayner does something stupid. And tell Olette to take a chill pill when she's way too nervous about their prom plans. I'm telling you, friends take effort. Especially these friends.

And I eventually figure out a way to let Pence down nicely. It isn't that hard. I bring up his promposal over lunch and he's super chill about it, listening while Photoshopping something on his laptop.

"I'm sorry, Pence...I don't think I can go with you to prom."

"That's cool." His eyes don't even leave his laptop screen. I can't tell if he's hiding his feelings or really that nonchalant about this entire thing. I don't really like either situation.

He doesn't even ask why! What does that mean?

I want to explain though. "It's not because of you, or anything, it's just - I don't think I'm going to prom this year."

And now he chooses to look up from his laptop. "Wait, what? That's not cool. Please don't do this just cause I asked. We can go separately, it's not a big deal. C'mon, Naminé."

"No, that's not it." I smile weakly. "I...just don't feel like going."

Pence regards me cautiously. "Not because of me?"

"No," I confirm. "Not at all."

Pence pauses for awhile and regards me carefully. "Okay..." He drops the subject, but I know he's just waiting to tell Olette who'll tell Hayner so they can confront me together.

I know Olette's schedule like the back of my hand, so it isn't hard to avoid her. I feel a little bad, but I don't know if I can explain my entire reasoning to them now.

While Olette's preoccupied with her bajillion extracurricular activities, another redhead is wrapping up her one sport and knows where to find me. It's just an ordinary day after school when she tracks me down. I guess my schedule's pretty predictable too. Or at least Kairi's smart enough to lay in wait by my locker, where I'll have to go to some time before I head home.

"Naminé."

I gulp, slowly turning around to face her.

"What's up?" I greet nonchalantly, returning my attention to my locker. It's easier if I don't have to face her doing this.

"What's up with you? I tried texting you like a billion times."

Yeah, so I might've not been talking to her either. "Sorry, I've been busy." I hurriedly grab my books, hoping I can get out of here soon.

"Talk to me, Naminé. What the heck happened that night at the party? I remember seeing you, but I must've had too much to drink cause that night's a blur. You and Sora walked me home?"

"Yeah." Let's keep this clean, folks. "We walked you home."

...

"...and?"

"And...you got home. End of story." What is she fishing for?

"Well, what about the question? Question 5? Did he get handsy with me or what?"

I snort. "Kairi, we were supposed to see if he got touchy with you when _he_ was drunk, not when you were drunk."

Kairi pauses and then laughs. "Man, I'm sorry. I just went and knocked myself out even when I asked you to help me with the quiz that night."

"Nah, it's okay." It's easier to get along with Kairi than I'd expected. If I just pretend the entire conversation with Sora hadn't happened, it's like things are normal. Maybe that's the solution to my dilemma. I've been avoiding the problem so far, cause thinking about it makes my head hurt, but it'll be easier for everyone if I just tell him no.

I'll just tell him I'm not going to prom.

"Are you okay?" Kairi asks, and I'm a little startled by her perception. Kairi's not the most observant person - usually she's quite self-centered, not entirely in a bad way - so I'm reeling as she keeps talking. "You look a little out of it. Did something happen?"

"No," I respond immediately, and I wonder if I sound too defensive.

"You sure? What about your prom plans? You going with anyone?"

I make sure to pause before I answer this time. "No. I'm not going to prom."

"... _ **WHAT?**_ "

Remember when I said Kairi's a little dramatic? Yeah.

"Uh, some things came up," I phrase carefully, vaguely, "and I decided I don't think I'll be going this year. I'm, uh, busy."

"With what?" Kairi exclaims. "You're a senior, you're going to college - what was it, one of the UDIs? You have no excuses, Naminé."

"Yeah I do," I protest. "I...am spending time with my family."

Kairi groans. "Ugh, seriously? You _have_ to spend time with that on prom night?"

"Hey, they're busy people!" I love how you can always just count on your parents to be your excuse for everything and anything. "Anyways, I don't really feel like going either."

"Why?"

Kairi's a little more straightforward than usual today. My decision seems to have affected her more than I thought it would. "I just...have a lot on my mind. It's such a hassle to dress up. And it's so expensive. Prom's not the only time to hang out with my friends."

"Naminé~" she whines. I wonder if that works on guys and what she expects that to accomplish with me. She soon composes herself. "Jeez, I tried. Just...please reconsider, okay? I don't care about what you're wearing or who you're coming with or anything. Prom's not supposed to be so complicated. It's just a night to spend with your friends, a memory of high school. And I want you to be there."

After her monologue probably meant to incite thought-provoking insight in me, she leaves with a dramatic swish of hair and skirt.

Commence provoked thoughts.

Well. Maybe it's a bit selfish to deprive my friends the chance to hang out with awesome ole me just cause I'm avoiding Sora (there, I admitted it - it was pretty obvious anyways). But I really don't wanna touch that matter with a ten-feet pole, and this is the easiest way out. What else can I do? Either way, I'm screwed, cause Sora's already confessed and this ruins Kairi's entire plan and everything we've been working on for the past few months. This is all Sora's fault.

"My fault?" a somewhat whimsical voice says.

And of course, who else can it be?

I barely stifle a high-pitched squeak that would've even made Kairi embarrassed. It takes me a moment to realize that somehow, Sora has snuck up on me.

 _Oh_ _frickkkkk_.

* * *

 **A/N: Ahaha so I lied; this isn't a two-shot, the story can't stop here. I can't help it; this story just keeps writing itself! So, I'm aiming for a three-shot now. School's starting soon but I'll be working hard on finishing this mini-project.**

 **Disclaimer: This author does not endorse underage drinking. On the other hand, the drinking age in Canada and several European countries is lower than the U.S.-mandated 21, so it's possible that Naminé &co. are legal in this story. Conclusion: follow the law of your country, everyone.**

 **And most importantly, thank you all for your support! I'm always excited when I get a follow/favorite, I absolutely adore reviews, but what I love the most are thoughtful re** **views that tell me either what you like or didn't like. I'm sure this goes for all writers out there - not just me. Feedback is a way for me to improve, so if you could let me know your thoughts about part II in a review, you'll absolutely make my day. Or even if you wanna chat about something not related to this story, feel free to PM me! I like to think I'm friendly.**

 **Gonna cut this A/N off. I hope you all enjoyed part II, and look forward to the next chapter!**


	3. Part Three

_Part THREE_

"I was told I'd find you here," Sora says, leaning on the locker next to mine.

I blink. I don't like surprises, I don't like sneak attacks, I don't like being caught off guard. So the number one instinct raging in me right now isn't fight, but flight.

I shut my locker door and turn, heading in the opposite direction of Sora. But he comes after me quickly and his fingers loop around my arm. "Hey, hey!" he calls out.

"What're you doing?" I exclaim, jerking my hand back from him.

"I - I just wanna talk."

"About?" The horrible idea he got one night he was more than a little tipsy? When I was conveniently more forthcoming with my true thoughts than I should've?

"...anything," he breathes out. "I - we haven't talked in, like, two weeks."

"You've been counting?"

He gives me a quizzical look. "Three weeks then? I don't know, Naminé."

Of course he wouldn't be counting - who actually does? Not me. Nuh-uh.

"Look, Naminé." He draws a deep breath. "Before anything...we're friends, right? We're friends, and friends talk, so...can't we just, y'know, talk?"

At that moment, I realize I've been hinging my reaction to Sora on him probing about his promposal. And now, he doesn't even mention it. He instead points out how I've been rather selfish these past two weeks, pushing everyone away while thinking I'm doing them a favor.

God, I'm so full of myself!

I draw a deep breath and sigh. "Yeah, let's talk. Just as friends," I add before realizing that's completely unnecessary.

Sora chuckles and adjusts the strap of his backpack. "Coffee? On me?"

Since we're going through a rough patch, I don't point out he's never bought coffee for me before. Well, he has, but in a group setting. Not just for me, with me. But we're rebuilding something delicate right now, and I don't want to ruin it. So I agree, though I'm still unsure of his intentions.

We exit the school together, making small talk about classes and such. It's safe territory for two students like us. And considering the fact that we haven't talked in two weeks (I _wasn't_ counting), there's quite some stuff for us to catch up on.

We reach a quaint little café less than a five-minute walk away from school. Sora orders a smoothie and a chocolate croissant while I get a vanilla latte. We find a seat with our drinks and continue our rather meaningless chitchat.

"...and so I told him I'd make up the assignment, but he doesn't believe that my mom actually vacuumed it up, so he goes ahead and marks me late. What's his problem?" Sora rolls his eyes and takes a long sip of his drink. "Never take a class with him. What am I saying - we're graduating."

I grin. "Yeah. We are."

The words sound sorta hollow on my tongue. It brings about a dull sense of nostalgia and regret for time that's winding down. I'm more sad about high school ending than excited for college beginning.

Speaking of college... "So, UDI-Cove?" I ask.

Sora smiles proudly. "What'd you expect?"

I roll my eyes. "We really are gonna be like an hour's drive away from each other."

"We can have brunch every weekend and update each other on our lives!" Sora exclaims girlishly. I can't tell if he's being genuine or sarcastic, so I go with the former.

"Congrats," I say. "Cove's a pretty good school."

"Not as good as Seaside. Their communications school is top ten."

I smile. "We're all going to college. It's kinda hard to believe sometimes."

"I know," Sora says wistfully. "It's like senior year just started yesterday. Now, we're gonna walk the stage."

...

We're running out of things to talk bout. I'm searching for another topic when Sora finally broaches the subject we've been skirting around.

"So...I heard you're not going to prom."

Oh my - I resist the urge to slap my forehead, or worse: bang my head on the table. "How in the world did you hear about that?" I ask. Is my life being publicly broadcasted without my knowledge? Have I told _that_ many people?

Sora looks away for a moment, flustered by my turning the tables against him. "N - no one in particular! Anyways, I gotta ask...was it - "

"No."

"...really?"

"It isn't."

"You don't even know what I was gonna ask."

"It's pretty obvious."

"What if I wanted to say, 'was it my promposal or Pence's promposal that sucked more?'?"

I think about it for a moment. "Still...no."

"...what the heck, Nam, it wasn't a yes-or-no question."

"Well, my answer's no - neither of them sucked. I'm not a particularly romantic person."

Sora groans. "You're so low-maintenance. Like, too low-maintenance."

No one's ever told me that before. "Thanks," I say, sipping on my latte so I don't have to say anything. At this rate, I'm gonna have to use the restroom pretty soon.

Sora takes a big bite out of his croissant, and half of the pastry is easily gone. He's got a big appetite.

Or maybe he's using the same technique as I am? As long as there's food/beverage in your mouth, you don't have to talk.

It's a competition of who will swallow first, and I don't intend to lose. I focus my eyes on him, and Sora narrows his right back.

He gives up and finally gulps down his food. That means I'm the victor!

"Why are you looking at me like that?" he asks.

I swallow my latte mixed with a lot of saliva. "No reason," I chirp.

"You weirdo."

"Says the one who looks like a bum."

"Hey! This is a designer shirt!"

"What brand is that?"

"Rainfell!"

I laugh. "You shop there? It's a girl's clothing line!"

"They have a subsidiary men's line! It's cool, cheap, and practical," Sora defends himself. With his pout and crossed arms, I wonder who he's trying to convince.

And that's how we get sidetracked from the main conversation. We only go back to it cause we quiet down and remember why we're here.

"...what was I saying?" Sora thinks aloud.

Okay, maybe only one of us remembers why we're here.

"You're not the reason I'm not going to prom." Wow, even I'm surprised that I say that sentence without stumbling over my words. "Don't be so narcissistic, Sora," I add jokingly for good measure.

"Well, I find that hard to believe, since after I almost asked you out to prom, you decide to not go. Coincidence? Methinks not."

I chuckle. "Again, narcissism, Sora. Not everything in the world revolves around you. Have you ever thought that maybe something really came up?"

Sora shoots me a look over his smoothie. "Did something really come up?" he challenges.

I pause. "No," I whisper.

"You know, I'm a big boy," Sora begins. "I can handle a rejection. You don't have to go out of your way and not go to prom to make me feel better. Cause I won't feel any better. I'd just feel worse for putting you in that position."

Ugh, can he stop being so...so _gentlemanly_? Is that the term I'm looking for? Really, cause now I can't even blame him for everything. Why can't he just be a jerk about it? It'd make things so much easier for me.

What am I even - okay, that's just the stress getting to me. Ignore that. Of courss, Sora's a nice guy with the best intentions. That's kinda why I like him, after all.

Huh, it's getting easier to say. I do like him.

"So," Sora crosses his arms and leans back on his seat, "if you don't wanna go with me, you should just say it."

"You want me to say it...now?" I ask.

"I mean, whenever you're ready. If you're ready, then go ahead."

I look around us. "We're in public, Sora."

"So?"

How can he be so...unfazed about everything?

I draw a deep breath. "Okay. Well, Sora, I - "

"Okay!" he cuts me off.

I pause, blink, and look at him. He's avoiding my eyes, head turned towards the side, and I can just make out a blush on his cheeks. Somehow, the sight of him like that makes me smile. Because despite how reckless and headstrong he may seem, he's just as averse to pain as anyone.

"You don't even know what I'm gonna say," I say, a smile flitting across my face as I repeat his words.

"I know basically what you're gonna say," Sora responds, still looking anywhere but me. "Anyways - "

"It's complicated," I rush out before he can move on to the next subject. He pauses for a moment and glances at me before averting his gaze towards the side once more. After a moment of silence, he faces me again.

"Okay, I hate 'it's complicated,'" Sora says. "I asked you a yes-or-no question, so I'm sorta aiming for a yes or no answer. None of that 'maybe' crap. What does 'it's complicated' even mean?"

"Look, Sora - " I sigh. I can tell he's getting frustrated with me. Perfectly understandable, since I'm getting frustrated with myself, too. It's just so hard to convey everything I want to say. Maybe I need to start with something encouraging. Start with honesty.

"I want to go to prom with you," I say.

It takes awhile for my words to sink in. His brows furrow and he slowly turns towards me with the corner of his mouth twitching upward. "W - wait, what?"

Jeez, Sora, you really need me to say it again? "I - want to say yes."

Sora's full-on beaming now, and oh dear god, can he not? I don't know how to finish the rest of my thoughts now. He's like a puppy ready to go for a walk. How can I tell him I _can't_ take him on that walk...?

Okay, scrap the analogy, it's getting a little out of hand.

"Sora. Sora!" I exclaim, getting his attention. The silly grin remains on his face, but his eyes focus on me.

"Yeah?"

"I _want_ to say yes," I repeat.

"Okay," he says. Again, it takes him a moment to process the nuances of my words. "Why do I sense a very important 'but' statement coming up?" he asks. Look at that, he catches on quickly.

I inhale deeply. "But..." How should I phrase this delicate matter? There's no way of going around it tactfully, so I decide to just come out and say it. "But...Kairi."

"But...Kairi?" Sora repeats.

"But Kairi."

"But...but what about Kairi?" he asks.

I give him a stern look. "But Kairi! Your friend, my friend?"

"I know who Kairi is," Sora deadpans. "But this is between us - what does this have to do with her?"

I sigh tiredly. "You can't seriously think what happens between us has nothing to do with her. Be realistic, Sora. Kairi's our friend."

"I know Kairi's our friend," Sora says. "That's why she's supportive of us, you know?"

"Even if she says she is - "

I pause. Wait a sec. I take a moment to consider his words.

 _Kairi_ is _supportive of us._

"You...just said that in the present tense," I muse aloud.

"Huh?"

"That Kairi _is_ supportive of us," I repeat. "How does she even know about us?" My mind does the math, and I widen my eyes. "Oh god, don't tell me you told her?! I didn't even get to talk to her yet!"

"What? No, I didn't tell her anything!" Sora protests. "Kairi came to _me_ to talk about it. Said she supported us, gave her blessings, thinks we're cute, yada yada..."

"Then how does she know?" I exclaim. "No one should know except...us!"

"I don't know!" Sora protests. "I - oh, wait, I do know." He chuckles. This isn't a laughing matter! My stern glare convinces Sora to treat this a little more seriously. "So," he begins explaining, "that night I...basically asked you out to prom? Kairi was there."

"What - no she wasn't."

Sora shakes his head. "Uh, you might've forgotten since you weren't carrying her, but I didn't forget the 100 lb weight on my back."

It takes all I have to not slam my forehead with the palm of my hand. "Oh, right, Kairi _was_ there." Wait, but... "But she was asleep!" I exclaim.

Sora shrugs. "Apparently not. She said she heard everything."

...oh dear god. That makes so much sense. Of course, cause Kairi's an adept drinker. Sora piggy-backing her surely wasn't a comfortable position to sleep in. And Sora and I were chatting with each other at normal volume. And it was cold. Of course she'd wake up and hear what we said -

 _Oh my god,_ she had to listen to the guy she likes confess to another girl and then pretend she slept through the whole thing!

"I'm a horrible friend," I mumble to myself, though of course Sora hears.

"What? No, Kairi said she understands. She said it's her friends, so she's excited for us."

"Sora, that's what she's _supposed_ to say. It doesn't mean she actually _feels_ that way."

"Huh? But it's Kairi. She always speaks her mind. She'd say something if she weren't happy."

"Not about this. She _can't_ say anything. Just - trust me on this. Kairi - I can't - look, that's why I _want_ to say yes, Sora. But I - I can't."

"...is this some 'chicks before dicks' sorta thing?"

"Sorta. I mean - I need to consider Kairi."

"...Kairi," Sora repeats.

"Mhmm."

"...okay, I sorta understand. You should probably talk to her," he agrees. "But just like Kairi's feelings are true, so are mine, and so are yours. So if you're gonna reject me, don't use Kairi's feelings as an excuse. Give me a good reason."

I gulp. Sora can get really serious when he wants to. He's actually a little intimidating now. I barely manage a nod. We sit in stifled silence for awhile before he clears his throat.

"Well, I didn't mean to finish on such a low note." He grins. "Though I'm glad we got to talk."

"Yeah, me too." I have to admit, it's nice to just talk to Sora again.

"Don't be a stranger, Nam."

"Right back at you, Sora."

We part on good terms, or so I like to think. It's weird. Somehow, I feel like we've reached a milestone in our relationship, but I don't know what that exactly is. It feels kinda like a breakup, but more hopeful. Like a promise, but with no guarantees.

I hate mixed feelings.

But at least now I know what I have to do. Thinking back, I realize that when Kairi had confronted me earlier by the lockers, she didn't mention knowing about me and Sora at all. So she's avoiding the topic.

Well. Let's see if she can avoid me.

* * *

Turns out Kairi's better at pulling disappearing acts than I am. Though cheerleading's over and she's already headed to RGA, she still has a packed schedule. Everyday after school, by the time I reach her last class, she's already gone to some extracurricular activity or another. And of course she's even busy during class breaks and lunch. The stand-guard-by-her-locker trick doesn't work, cause apparently she doesn't use her locker often. Huh.

When I text her and ask if we can meet, I'm also similarly dismissed with apologies due to some prior appointment. It's not subtle at this point that she's avoiding me.

I hope I wasn't as obvious as she is when I dropped off the grid.

But Kairi's a living being - my friend - so she should've known it's only a matter of time before I track her down. After a few days of my futile efforts, I find out from Olette, whose bio class lab partner is on the soccer team, who finds out from his teammate Tidus, who's one of Kairi's childhood friends (yes, I'm very well-connected) that Kairi's heading across town to a dentist's appointment after class tomorrow.

So when the bell rings on the fated day, I bid Olette a hasty farewell, jump out of my seat, and dash towards the bus stop outside our school gate. Kairi's car is apparently in repair, and her parents are busy, so she's taking the bus for an hour to get to the dentist's office. No place better than forced proximity on public transit to have a deep heart-to-heart, eh?

I board the bus, which parks in place for a few minutes since it's a terminal stop. Right before it takes off, Kairi stumbles on, heaving deep breaths. She smiles for the driver and then makes her way in. Her eyes roam the bus and eventually reach mine. I summon a smile that doesn't quite meet the eyes and wave at her. She mimics my sentiments.

"Hey," she says and takes the seat next to me. "What're you doing here?"

"Running errands," I respond vaguely. I consider how I should broach the topic with her. I ultimately decide to take Sora's approach of guilt-tripping her about not hanging out for awhile. With a twist, of course. "What're you up to?" I ask.

Read: _I haven't talked to you in awhile_.

"Oh, I've just got a lot of things to wrap up. Clubs, volunteering, things like that. Thank you cards for all my teachers."

Read: _I know._ _There's a reason why we haven't._

"It's been awhile. We should hang out since we're graduating soon," I suggest.

Read: _Are you avoiding me?_

"Yeah, we should. I've just been so busy."

Read: _No._

"I wanted to ask for your opinion on something."

Read: _We need to talk._

"I don't know if I can be much help."

Read: _I'd rather not_.

"I talked to Sora recently," I begin.

Read: _I know that you know_.

Kairi pauses for a moment before responding. "I haven't talked to him in awhile."

Read: _There's nothing going on between us_.

"I know."

Read: ...well, read literally.

I draw a deep breath, summoning the courage for what I'm about to say. "Kairi...I'm sorry."

"About what?" She feigns ignorance, giving me an easy way out. Kairi's always been kind. But I'm not taking that way today - I can't.

"I'm sorry about...how everything turned out," I say. "I had no idea this would happen."

Kairi pauses for a moment, and I wonder if she's finally gonna acquiesce to the subject we're skirting around. "You don't need to apologize for anything," Kairi says firmly. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"I know. Objectively, I know that. But...I still feel bad."

"Don't," Kairi says in a clipped tone. "You'll just make me feel worse."

"Kairi, why didn't you tell me? That you weren't asleep and heard...?"

"I wasn't supposed to hear that anyways, so it doesn't matter. You can just pretend I didn't."

"But you did," I point out gently, sensing how emotionally volatile Kairi's growing. I think through my words carefully before proceeding. "Kairi...you don't have to do this for me."

"I'm not doing anything for you," Kairi spits with more rancor in her voice than I think she intended. "It's like any other relationship. The guy I like doesn't like me. But he likes this other girl and it's time I step down. I'm just in the way."

"No, don't say it like that - "

"Naminé, it _happened_ , okay?" Kairi exclaims. "And you being here rubbing it in my face really isn't making things easier for me."

I stare at Kairi, wide-eyed, reeling from the hurt invading my body.

Kairi's words aren't even mean, but she sighs wearily and wipes away a tear before stringing together an apology. "I'm - sorry, I didn't mean to - ugh." She huffs exasperatedly. "It's just something I gotta get through, you know? Sort through my own feelings. It happens, and I'm gonna deal with it. Don't mind me. It might take awhile - "

"Do you think you've done the right thing?" I interrupt.

"Excuse me?" Kairi looks at me with narrowed eyes.

"Do you feel like - I don't know, a martyr of some sort? Sacrificing yourself for your friend?"

"Why are you accusing me of something now?" Kairi's eyes flash, and I sense she's getting angry. "I _did_ do the right thing, Naminé."

"You're going about this all wrong. Why didn't you tell me any of this? I thought we were friends."

"We _are_ friends - that's why I'm doing this! Why don't you understand?"

"Well I'm _your_ friend, so I won't let you do this to yourself," I argue. "You're supposed to talk to me."

Kairi gives me a long look. I grow extremely self-conscious under her intense glare. She barks a dry laugh. "I - I was _supposed to_ talk to you? So now it's my fault? Naminé, you can stop it. Don't come in all high and mighty trying to tell me what I should've done. You're just here to make yourself feel better, so you can be with Sora without feeling bad about me. Stop acting so self-righteously."

"I - "

In a dark part of my mind, a voice whispers, _she's right_. And I'm terrified of the fact that I have nothing left to say for myself. And Kairi...Kairi's right. I'm here because I want to soothe the guilt I feel for letting all this happen. I'm just here to make myself feel better.

What the heck is wrong with me?

Kairi sucks in and exhales quickly. "Forget I said that, I'm just upset," she says. I notice that this time, she doesn't say sorry - cause she knows she's right. "But..." Kairi looks at me, "think about it, Naminé. Everything that's happened...what do you think will change by you talking to me? Nothing. Nothing's gonna change. My feelings, your feelings, Sora's feelings - they're all gonna be the same. I know you're just trying to sort out a sense of guilt, even though you're feeling bad for a situation you had no control of. But for me, you're bringing up a rough time I'm trying to forget. And you're just prolonging an awkward situation for everyone."

"Kairi, I - I'm sorry." I sigh. "I didn't mean to - "

"I know," Kairi cuts me off. She even summons a small smile. "I know. You just wanna talk to me. And I'm your friend, so I'm sorry I can't be there for you now. But...we're gonna have to leave each other alone for some time. I can let Sora go, but I can't do that and actively support you guys at the same time. I promise we're still friends - a boy can't come between us - but I'm gonna need to distance myself from you all for awhile. Okay? That's all I'm asking, Naminé."

"It's - it's just not fair," I sputter. "That you didn't do anything wrong, but you have to go through this. You have to go through this _alone_."

Kairi shrugs. "I mean, that's just how things work out sometimes. Stuff happens, stuff we can't control, and there's no one to blame but the universe's twisted sense of humor."

Kairi seems eons wiser than me. I feel so small and weak before her. She's already moving on from something I'm still stuck on. She's always been a somewhat self-centered, happy-go-lucky girl to me, but I guess what I thought I saw in her is exactly what I fear seeing in myself.

"Can we talk about something else?" Kairi says. Her voice manages to perk up. "Have you decided what you're wearing to prom?"

I look at Kairi with wide eyes, wondering how she has the courage to talk about a painful subject for her just for the sake of another. Her eyes are staring straight at me, fixed on me - no, not me, but my forehead. There's a sheen on her eyes, like she's not completely focused on the current situation. Her hands are clenched as fists and she curls her lower lip in a little. She's so strong, yet so vulnerable at the same time.

And right then and there, I make my decision.

* * *

"Congratulations, class of 2015!" our valedictorian speaker announces with a wide smile. "We survived!"

The entire auditorium bursts into loud cheers and applause. We, the graduates, rise and exit in a single file line just like we've rehearsed. Out on the football field, in a not-so-coordinated fashion, we toss our hats into the air and celebrate times we've gotten through and times to come.

High school is over. Like all endings, it's sorta bittersweet.

My parents are in a corner, my dad holding a bouquet and my mom on the verge of tearing up. She's always been the emotional cornerstone of the family.

"You're so old now!" my mom exclaims. "Oh, someone get a picture of me before my makeup smears."

I roll my eyes. "Mom, I'm staying on Destiny Islands for college. I'll be less than a three-hour drive away."

"I know," she sniffles, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief my dad offers her, "but everything will be _different_! Before I know it, you'll have your own place, with your own car, and your own family and husband and kids - "

"Whoa, getting ahead of ourselves there!" My dad chuckles. "Let's not think about that till after you graduate college, okay, Naminé?" I can sense the not-so-subtle threat behind that: focus on your studies, not boys in college.

"Yes sir," I joke. My parents are just like that. They never change do, do they?

"Quick, picture!" Mom insists. She wraps an arm proudly around my shoulder, and I pose with the bouquet of colored carnations. I know that first blinding flash is only the beginning of a day of memory-making.

"NAMINÉ!"

I turn towards Olette, bounding in my direction with her parents in tow. She catches me in a warm hug. "WE MADE IT!" she hollers.

"I know!" I exclaim. Olette's enthusiasm is too contagious. The entire atmosphere of festivity is too contagious.

"Picture time! Then I gotta grab Pence and Hayner...they're probably pigging out by by the food...but anyways!" She wraps her arms around me and I copy her, turning toward Olette's dad who quickly snaps a photo.

"Oh, look here too!" my dad insists, and we pose for him as well.

There goes picture number two. Four solid years of friendship right there. Though Olette's heading back to her hometown for college, we'll still make time for each other. I promise to visit and she promises to take me on a tour of Twilight Town's Seven Wonders. It's a promise I intend to keep.

I then take a bunch of group photos for all the organizations I've been a part of throughout high school: journalism, yearbook, broadcasting club, and even AP Psych. It's been real, guys. Snap, snap, snap, more flashes go off.

I catch a familiar silhouette ahead of me and rush up to tap her shoulder. Rikku whirls around with a broad smile. "Oh wow," I comment, "your cheek muscles have seen better days."

Rikku lets her forced smile drop. "My mom used to be a professional photographer, so every photo I take has at least five shots. I'm never gonna be a model."

"You think you can handle one more picture?" I ask tentatively.

Rikku pauses for a moment and then grins. "For Old Faithful's sake."

I chuckle. "For Old Faithful," I repeat, recalling our potato cannon we built from scratch. That sucker gave us the extra credit we needed to pass physics. After that successful experiment, Rikku and I have been on pretty good terms.

"Here, Dad!" I exclaim. He's just been following me around as my personal photographer. He quickly snaps a photo of the two of us.

"Okay, you should go," Rikku says. I'm a little confused by her abrupt words, and she realizes what she said. "I'm sorry, that came out wrong. If my mom catches us, you'll be stuck with me for at least five minutes - "

"Are you a friend of Rikku?" a high-pitched voice calls out from the crowd. I can barely make out an orange-haired woman with a DSLR and tripod making her way towards us."Wait right there, I can get a really nice photo of you two from this angle..."

"Go!" Rikku urges with a gentle push. I grin and heed her words, taking off to the next photo opportunity.

"NAMINÉ!"

That loud voice can only be Olette's. She's managed to find Hayner and Pence, so we all take a photo together. Or a few, cause Pence suggests funny faces, and Hayner's a master at those, though Olette keeps trying to get themed shots. Did I mention Olette and Hayner are too cute together?

They're too cute together.

"Hey," Pence murmurs to me while Hayner and Olette argue about the next pose, "I'm glad you ended up going to prom."

I blink. "Oh, yeah. You were right. I thought not going to prom would make things easier for people, but I was wrong. As I often am these days," I add with a chuckle. "It was _so_ fun. I'm glad I went."

"I'm glad too," Pence acquiesces.

"Alright, alright, let's just do this!" Hayner exclaims, wrapping his arm around my and Pence's neck. We end up in a chokehold and forced grins that I'm pretty sure look more like grimaces.

"What, that's not what I meant, Hayner!" Olette shrills. "I said _lovingly,_ not like you're about to strangle them!"

We argue about poses for another five minutes when finally, Olette's mom suggests we move on to take pictures with other people. We disperse to find our other friends.

I notice a wild bush of brown hair that's impossible to miss. Before I can think twice, I run towards him and stop right next to his ear, whispering a loud, "BOO!"

"AHH!"

I bend over laughing while Sora's recuperating from the scare. "You're so easy to spook! Are you hiding something?" I tease.

"You scared me to _death_ , Naminé!" Sora complains. He's got a crushed mini cupcake in one hand that I laugh at. He groans while I reach over to the table nearby and pass him a napkin. "Thanks," he mumbles.

"Photo time!" I exclaim as I beckon for my dad to come over.

Sora groans. "But I just ate!" He beams at me, showing off his pearly whites. "Teeth check?"

I chuckle, slapping him on the arm. "You're acting like a girl, Sora."

He frowns. "I don't want to look bad in my photo with you! Remember at prom when we took that photo and Tidus totally photobombed us..."

I giggle. "That was funny! Easily stole the spotlight from us."

"I want the spotlight on us!" Sora complains.

"Well, we got the spotlight now," I say, pointing at my dad. "Smile!"

Sora comfortably rests his hand around my waist. We smile, at ease, and my dad takes the perfect photo.

"Hey," I comment, "your hand's getting real comfortable on my hip."

"I know," Sora says, "I mean, I danced with you all night for prom."

"You're exaggerating, Sora," I insist. "It was just two dances. Or three?"

"Well, basically," Sora says. A silly grin finds its way onto his face. "Is that gonna be like our thing from now on?"

And again he's lost me. This boy sometimes just operates on another wavelength. "What are you talking about?"

Sora pouts. "Oh c'mon! You know how I basically promposed to you that night? So it's _basically_ our thing."

I roll my eyes. "Sure, Sora, _basically_."

We make small talk for another few minutes till Sora's urged by a soccer teammate to pose for a team photo. "Hey, Nam, I'll see you around then!" he exclaims while being dragged off. "And I mean it. Cove's an hour drive away, so I expect frequent visits!"

"Okay, okay!" I wave at him and he finally heads towards his team. To be honest, I'm glad Sora's just an hour away from Seaside. I'm pretty anxious about college, and knowing he's nearby is comforting.

After Sora leaves, my dad comes up to me. "Okay, I'm confused."

I look at him. "About what?"

"So it sounds like you went to prom with that boy - he said he, what, promposed to you? And I saw a bunch of pictures of you two at prom too. But he didn't come pick you up?"

I smile. "Dad, what'd I tell you about going to prom?"

"That you went by yourself, I know, but - "

"And why would I lie to you about that?"

"...so you went by yourself?"

"Trust me, Dad," I say. My attention's diverted by a redhead approaching. "Kairi!" I exclaim.

Kairi beams, wrapping her skinny arms around me. "Naminé. Congrats!"

"Congrats to you! Ready for RGA?"

"Oh my god, don't even mention it. I'm not thinking about school till this summer's over. I fully intend on enjoying my free time."

"What're your plans?" I ask.

She shrugs. "I'm gonna travel with my family for a month, so I'm looking forward to that. But in general, I just wanna enjoy hanging out with friends without having to worry about school or anything."

"Sounds like a plan," I nod. "I have no plans except for chill. Summer's gonna fly by."

"We should hang out!" Kairi suggests. "You're going to the bonfire later, right?"

"Totally," I say. "Not gonna miss out on whatever news Xion's gonna announce. You know what she's gonna say, don't you?" Xion's on the cheerleading squad with Kairi, and those girls are tight-knit.

Kairi grins. "What do you think?"

I narrow my eyes. "My guess is...she's taking a gap year to travel before heading to college. I dunno, I'm not that close with her. Why's she announcing this to the whole grade?"

"Cause she got around to making friends with everyone and doesn't want anyone finding out via social media. You're kinda right about the traveling part. Not for an entire year though."

"Great for her and all, but is traveling that big of a deal that she needs to announce it?"

"Well, if it's for her honeymoon, then yeah."

"...wait, _what?"_

Kairi beams. "She and her boyfriend are getting married!"

"No way! Doesn't her boyfriend go to another school?"

"Yeah!" Kairi exclaims. "I've met him a few times. Nice guy, pretty chatty. I guess he and Xion balance each other out. But anyways, he proposed to her yesterday night, and I'm _so_ excited for her!"

"How long have they been dating?" I ask.

"Four years! That's like way too long," Kairi says.

"Wow." _Married_? I've never even been in a stable long-term relationship! It's kinda hard to believe that everyone's lives are taking off. I mean, some are in different directions, but they're taking off nonetheless.

"Anyways, since we're on the topic of love lives...can we talk about you and Sora?" Kairi asks with a sly grin.

I shoot her a pointed look. "You tell me, Kairi."

"Oh stop it!" she exclaims, hitting me lightly on the arm. "I'm over it, really! I said it'd take some time, not forever. Talk to me about it! I'm just excited now."

I roll my eyes. "There's nothing, Kairi. And I know you're our one true fan, so I'll keep you updated."

"You'd better! You can start by telling me why you didn't go to prom with Sora."

Of course that'd come up. "I chose not to. Not for you," I hastily explain, "but...I do admit it's because of you."

Kairi frowns. "That's not what I want to hear."

"No, Sora already lectured me - I don't wanna hear it again. Anyways, I didn't say no to him because you liked him. I said no because I like you." I pause. "Platonically. Darn, I was trying to go with a parallelism thing there, but that just came out weird."

Kairi chuckles before asking for an explanation. "Wait, I still don't get it. So it's still because of me...?"

I shrug. "You're my friend, Kairi. And like you said, a boy's not gonna come between us. I value being your friend more than I like Sora, so I made my choice."

"Naminé...that's kinda what I _didn't_ want to happen," Kairi says. "Now I feel bad for having come between you guys."

"That's just how things go." I shrug. "I made my decision, and there's no right or wrong. Either way, now I gotta live with it."

"...to be perfectly honest," Kairi admits, "when I heard you weren't going to prom with Sora...I did feel a little better."

I crack a wide smile. "You'd better! I gave him up for you!"

"What? I didn't ask you to!"

"Yeah, but what're friends for?"

Kairi grins. "Yeah, what are friends for? They're the ones that choose to stick with you despite everything, I guess."

Can't she spare us her nuggets of wisdom just for one day? I swear, she makes philosophy look easy.

"Don't think I didn't notice he reserved about half his dances that night for you!" Kairi reminds me. "He _totally_ likes you."

"Kairi!"

"And you're both gonna be on Destiny Islands for college, right? So you can still see each other often! Oh my god, you guys are too cute!"

I'm blushing now. "Kairi...we're in public. Could you...?"

"Oh, yes." She clears her throat and tries to look serious...but fails miserably. "Pfft! Oh my god, I can see you two together already!"

"Kairi!" But now even I can't stop the smile spreading across my face.

The happiness in me bubbles out quite easily. Celebrating a joyous day in my life with my friends and family...I realize how fortunate I am to be here today. And though looking down the future is daunting, that's all out of my control. My friendship with Kairi has taught me to just focus on what I can control. For now, that's being a good student, a good daughter, and a good friend. Sora's another choice that I can make later down the road...

My phone buzzes and I check what text came in.

 _From: Sora  
Hey r u going to the bonfire tonite?_

Or...maybe the choice is coming up sooner than I think.

* * *

 **A/N: And I'm...done!**

 **Oh man. This project started one way and took on a life of its own. I plan on writing out my entire thinking and writing process for this project, so stay tuned and check out my writing blog later if you're interested. I'm gonna post where my inspiration came from, and there's also a reader's challenge if you wanna check it out. My writing blog is on tumblr, URL: everyclover (period) tumblr (period) com. I do hope that displays properly. Just replace the (period)s with actual periods and delete the spaces. The URL should also be on my profile.**

 **Anyways, please leave a review and let me know what you think! I'm pretty sure half of you, if you're a reader like me, have mixed feelings about ambiguous endings. I was aiming for a hopeful tone. But what is the purpose of writing but to provoke insights and instigate debate? Lay out your thoughts: it's awesome, it's unrealistic, Naminé made the wrong choice, Kairi was selfish or selfless, Sora shouldn't be so cute (like seriously, if he weren't, all this wouldn't have happened), etc. I'd love to hear what you thought about the ending, or any part of the story. Or about unicorns. We could talk about that too.**

 **Thank you so much for all the loving support I've received throughout writing this! It's been an absolute joy, and I hope to have more short story projects in the future. For now, school calls, so I'll be prioritizing that. But I'm working on a multi-chapter fic, so look forward to that.**

 **Peace out, y'all.**


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